I began my quest for fluency using the Pimsleur Portuguese audio program and had committed to memory this useful phrase: venha aqui! » Come here! Not just useful but this was helping me remember how the Imperative Mood works. So why is this post about Vem cá!?
Because you will never hear, Venha aqui in Brazil: everyone says, Vem cá!
Let's break this one down and learn why.
I have to explain: this was the moment I learned (ie, REALIZED) that there are actually two forms of the Imperative Mood: formal and informal (tu-form). I can't tell you how decepcionado I felt! None of my books had so much as mentioned this. But it's a cold hard fact on the ground:
Brazilians use a mix of the formal & informal versions of the imperative - especially in everyday conversation!
But lets' keep this focused on the single case of expressing: Come (over) here! It will help you make sense of all the other common uses of this mood.
VIR in the Imperative
*Remember, the Imperative Mood is anything said in a commanding way.
What about the cá ~ What is that?
This took me years to finally figure out.
If you say venha para aqui quickly, it soon morphs into Vem para cá. So, in the same way, we'll often say, "Comeeer" for Come over here, Brazilians now officially say para cá rather than para aqui in everyday conversation. I was looking for a more complex linguistical explanation but it's just an evolution of the lazy tongue.
Eu mudei para aqui há 7 anos » Eu mudei para cá há 7 anos.
Brazilians will drop the para when saying, Vem para cá! » Vem cá! . These mean the same thing.
Other examples using Vem (para) cá
**DO NOT get the idea that you can substitute cá for aqui! Only in the context of over here.
5 Responses to “Vem cá!”